1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates mainly to a liquid crystal composition suitable for use in an active matrix (AM) device, and an AM device containing the composition. More specifically, the invention relates to a liquid crystal composition having a positive dielectric anisotropy, and a device containing the composition and having a mode such as twisted nematic, optically compensated bend, in-plane switching, fringe field switching or polymer sustained alignment.
2. Related Art
In a liquid crystal display device, a classification based on an operating mode for liquid crystals includes phase change (PC), twisted nematic (TN), super twisted nematic (STN), electrically controlled birefringence (ECB), optically compensated bend (OCB), in-plane switching (IPS), vertical alignment (VA), fringe field switching (FFS) and polymer sustained alignment (PSA). A classification based on a driving mode in the device includes a passive matrix (PM) and an active matrix (AM). The PM is further classified into static, multiplex and so forth, and the AM is classified into a thin film transistor (TFT), a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) and so forth. The TFT is further classified into amorphous silicon and polycrystal silicon. The latter is classified into a high temperature type and a low temperature type according to the production process. A classification based on a light source includes a reflection type utilizing natural light, a transmission type utilizing a backlight and a semi-transmission type utilizing both natural light and a backlight.
These devices contain a liquid crystal composition having suitable characteristics. The liquid crystal composition has a nematic phase. General characteristics of the composition should be improved to give an AM device having excellent general characteristics. Table 1 below summarizes the relationship between the general characteristics of the two. The general characteristics of the composition will be explained further based on a commercially available AM device. The temperature range of a nematic phase relates to the temperature range in which the device can be used. A desirable maximum temperature of the nematic phase is approximately 70° C. or higher and a desirable minimum temperature of the nematic phase is approximately −10° C. or lower. The viscosity of the composition relates to the response time of the device. A short response time is desirable for displaying moving images on the device. Accordingly, a small viscosity of the composition is desirable. A small viscosity at a low temperature is more desirable. The elastic constant of the composition relates to the contrast of the device. A large elastic constant of the composition is more desirable in order to increase the contrast of the device.
TABLE 1General Characteristics of Composition and AM DeviceGeneral CharacteristicsGeneral CharacteristicsNo.of Compositionof AM Device1wide temperature range of awide usable temperature rangenematic phase2small viscosity1)short response time3suitable optical anisotropylarge contrast ratio4positively or negatively largelow threshold voltage anddielectric anisotropysmall electric power consumptionlarge contrast ratio5large specific resistancelarge voltage holding ratioand large contrast ratio6high stability to ultravioletlong service lifelight and heat7large elastic constantlarge contrast ratio and shortresponse time1)A liquid crystal composition can be injected into a liquid crystal cell in a shorter period of time.
The optical anisotropy of the composition relates to the contrast ratio of the device. The product (Anxd) of the optical anisotropy (Δn) of the composition and the cell gap (d) of the device is designed so as to maximize the contrast ratio. A suitable value of the product depends on the kinds of operating modes. In a device having a TN mode, a suitable value is about 0.45 micrometer. In this case, a composition having a large optical anisotropy is desirable for a device having a small cell gap. A large dielectric anisotropy of the composition contributes to a low threshold voltage, a small electric power consumption and a large contrast ratio of the device. Accordingly, a large dielectric anisotropy is desirable. A large specific resistance of the composition contributes to a large voltage holding ratio and a large contrast ratio of the device. Accordingly, a composition having a large specific resistance is desirable at room temperature and also at a temperature close to the maximum temperature of a nematic phase in the initial stage. A composition having a large specific resistance is desirable at room temperature and also at a temperature close to the maximum temperature of a nematic phase after it has been used for a long time. The stability of the composition to ultraviolet light and heat relates to the service life of the liquid crystal display device. In the case where the stability is high, the device has a long service life. These characteristics are desirable for an AM device used in a liquid crystal projector, a liquid crystal television and so forth. A large elastic constant of the composition relates to a large contrast ratio and a short response time of the device. Accordingly, a large elastic constant is desirable.
A composition having positive dielectric anisotropy is used for an AM device having a TN mode. On the other hand, a composition having negative dielectric anisotropy is used for an AM device having a VA mode. A composition having positive or negative dielectric anisotropy is used for an AM device having an IPS mode or a FFS mode. A composition having positive or negative dielectric anisotropy is used for an AM device having a PSA mode. Liquid crystal compositions having positive dielectric anisotropy are disclosed in the patent document No. 1. Patent document No. 1: JP 2001-003053 A.
A desirable AM device has characteristics such as a wide temperature range in which the device can be used, a short response time, a large contrast ratio, a low threshold voltage, a large voltage holding ratio and a long service life. Response time that is one millisecond shorter than that of the other devices is desirable. Thus, a composition having characteristics such as a high maximum temperature of a nematic phase, a low minimum temperature of a nematic phase, a small viscosity, a suitable optical anisotropy, a large dielectric anisotropy, a large specific resistance, a high stability to ultraviolet light and a high stability to heat is especially desirable.